Why Declan Rice is missing Liverpool vs Arsenal as Mikel Arteta decision explained

Arsenal have confirmed that Declan Rice misses out for Arsenal against Liverpool through injury.

Rice played the full 90 minutes for the Gunners against Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League semi-final second leg. However, the midfielder is not in the matchday squad at Anfield.

Mikel Arteta acknowledged before kick-off that Rice is "not fit". "Declan couldn't even train," the Arsenal manager explained," so he's injured unfortunately and couldn't make the game."

Leandro Trossard has replaced the midfielder in the starting line-up. Mikel Merino reverts to a midfield role rather than leading the line. He joins Martin Odegaard and Thomas Partey in the middle, as Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli flank Trossard.

It is the first time Rice has missed a match this year. He was last unavailable for a game on 18 December, when a knock kept Rice out of the League Cup quarter-final against Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium.

The player's enforced absence ends a streak of 21 consecutive starts for club and country stretching back to late January. The last match Rice did not start was the final Champions League league phase game versus Girona, in which he came on as an 82nd-minute substitute.

However, during that run, Rice has been replaced during the second half nine times, completing the entire match in the other 12. The most recent of those withdrawals came last weekend, when he came off after playing 74 minutes against Bournemouth.

Rice notably picked up a knock during the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid. Afterwards, Arteta said: "I think Dec had an issue with his foot."

The only other change sees Ben White replace Jurrien Timber at right-back, with Arteta also acknowledging the latter is "not fit". The back four of William Saliba, Jakub Kiwior and Myles Lewis-Skelly remains, with David Raya in goal.